UConn All-Americans Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart will be teaming up again, this time at the trials to pick to United States team competing in the World University Games and Pan Am Games.

Jefferson and Stewart, who have led UConn to three straight national titles, are no strangers to USA Basketball.

Jefferson was a member of the U.S. team which won the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championships and the following year played for the gold-medal winning team at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women.

Stewart, who is currently in Las Vegas for the three-day national team training camp, has won a gold medal competing for the U.S. every year since 2009 as she has starred for USA Basketball at the U16, U17, U18, U19 levels in addition to her experience last summer at the FIBA World Championship for Women.

Former Hillhouse High star Bria Holmes, a rising senior guard at West Virginia, is also among the 54 players looking to be named to the 12-member Pan Am Games and World University Games teams.

The training camp will run from May 14-17 in Colorado Springs.

The World University Games will be held from July 3-12 in South Korea while the Pan Am Games run from July 16-20 in Toronto.

At least one UConn player should be at the Pan Am Games as Kia Nurse figures to be suiting up for host Canada.

The Canadian national team announced that Nurse is one of 22 players invited to the first phase of training. There will be a two-week training camp starting on Sunday in Edmonton, The team will head to Europe to play six international friendlies.

It begins with three games in La Rioja, Spain as Canada plays Poland on May 28, Great Britain on May 29 and Spain on May 30. There will be a rematch in Poland on June 3 in Lille, France which is also the site of games against Italy and France on June 4 and 5.

UConn incoming freshmen Napheesa Collier, De'Janae Boykin and Katie Lou Samuelson are among the players who have accepted invitations to try out for the U.S. U-19 team along with UConn rising sophomore forward Gabby Williams and UConn Class of 2016 commit Crystal Dangerfield.

Samuelson was the leading scorer on the U.S. team which won the FIBA U-17 World Championship for Women as she averaged 13.9 points per game and also had a ream-leading 19 3-pointers. Boykin was also a member of the team. Boykin started all seven games, was second on the team with an average of 6.1 rebounds, was tied for second with 16 assists.

Collier was a key member of the U.S. team which won the FIBA Americas U18 Championships. She finished ranked third in the tournament in scoring (14.0 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (8.6). She also finished fifth with a 56.4 field-goal percentage, third with an average of 1 blocked shot per contest, was fourth in assist/turnover ratio, led all players with a 55.6 3-point percentage and was 10th in steals.

UConn Class of 2016 recruiting target Lauren Cox, the leading rebound on the U-17 team, is among the top candidates to make the team competing in the U-19 World Championship for Women.

The 12-member team will be selected during the trials which run from May 14-17 and will play in the FIBA U19 World Championship in Chekhov, Russia from July 18-26.

The list of players heading to the trials for the World University Games and Pan Am Games will be announced at 2 p.m. UConn's Breanna Stewart said she would be a part of the WUG trials.


HOLMES, WEST VIRGINIA HEADING TO MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
As I previous reported, former Hillhouse star Bria Holmes will get her homecoming game as part of the third annual Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge.

The event wraps up with four games being played at Mohegan Sun Arena including Holmes' West Virginia team playing Yale at 4 p.m. Meriden native and former UConn guard Sadie Edwards' Southern California team will be playing Iona at noon although Edwards will not yet be eligible to play as she won't be able to suit up for the Trojans until the fall semester is completed.

Here is the full schedule

Chapel Hill, N.C. Campus Round ScheduleNovember 20Fairleigh Dickinson at North Carolina
Iona vs. Yale
November 21
Iona at North Carolina
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Yale
November 22Yale at North Carolina
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Iona

Spokane, Wash. Campus Round ScheduleNovember 22West Virginia at Gonzaga
Grand Canyon vs. Southern California
November 23Grand Canyon at Gonzaga
Southern California vs. West Virginia
November 24Southern California at Gonzaga
Grand Canyon vs. West Virginia

Mohegan Sun Arena Schedule – November 29 10 a.m. – Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Grand Canyon
12 p.m. – Iona vs. Southern California
2 p.m. – Gonzaga vs. North Carolina
4 p.m. – Yale vs. West Virginia

UConn incoming freshman Breanna Stewart was named the national high school player of the year by USA Today and the newspaper's five-member first team includes the Huskies entire recruiting class.

Joining Stewart and UConn signees Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck on the first team are Duke commit Alexis Jones and Tennessee signee Bashaara Graves.

UConn Class of 2013 recruiting target Diamond DeShields was named to the second team while Hillhouse's Bria Holmes, who has signed with West Virginia, is a third-team selection.

HOWARD ADDED TO PARADISE JAM FIELD
The field for the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands is slowly taking shape. Howard becomes the fifth confirmed team to play in the event joining UConn, DePaul, Purdue and Wake Forest.

The eight-team tournament will be played from Nov. 22-24 with each team playing three games in a round robin format.

Time was running down as the East's once comfortable lead was on the verge of disappearing. It is the type of situation that turns an all-star like Wednesday night's McDonald's All-American Game into more of a real game than a showcase for the gathered masses.

It's always telling which players the coaches puts on the court down the stretch in these contests. Among those being entrusted with finishing out the game by East coach Anne Long of Spring Valley, S.C. (who some of you may remember as being the high school coach of former UConn recruiting target Xylina McDaniel) is Hillhouse's Bria Holmes.

The fact the Holmes' East squad won 79-78 on a tiebreaking free throw by Tennessee recruit Bashaara Graves with just .3 seconds remaining put the capper on a special experience for Holmes.

Holmes had 13 points, just one of three East players to score in double figures, as well as two rebounds and two steals. She played 22 minutes Graves was the only player for the East to see more playing time. Not a bad effort for the first Connecticut native to play in the McDonald's girls' game.

"I didn't know any of them (before arriving in Chicago) but we moved the ball around and it helped that I got on fire a little bit," Holmes said. "It kind of showed what Connecticut (is all about)

"At first I was a little nervous and then after a couple of shots I started to warm up and started to play my game of basketball. It is a great experience, I am going to remember this for the rest of my life
I am going to keep moving forward and keep playing basketball and trying my hardest, hard work and dedication. It means a whole lot and there has never been a girl who has done this before. I am first, it means a lot to me, it means a lot to my family, our coaches and everybody who supports me. I am just thankful that this day happened."

Although she did not get selected to play in Saturday's WBCA All-American Game in Denver like so many of the other players who played Wednesday night, Holmes said there is a chance she will head to the Final Four. One thing she is certain of is when she is leaving for West Virginia where she signed to play. That will happen on June 26.

"I am ready for college," Holmes said.

Holmes will join the Mountaineers with a championship pedigree as she won state titles in her first three years. The quest to make it 4 for 4 fell a bit short and Holmes took the defeat extremely hard.

"It took me about a week or so," Holmes said. "It really hurt because we got that far before all three years and we won. I just had to let it go after a while, I've got 3."

Finally I asked Holmes her opinion of her East teammate Breanna Stewart, the consensus national high school player of the year. Her answer was classic.

'She is a humble player and she has the game," Holmes said. "She can shoot the ball, she can dribble and drive to the rack. We went to a five-star camp together. She is like a rock star."
I spoke to Stewart and fellow UConn commits Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck and will be writing and blogging about them tomorrow. In stark contrast to two years ago when the people at McDonald's bent over backwards to provide as much access as I could have hoped for, that was not the case today so my time was a little limited with Tuck and Stewart but there's still some pretty good stuff from the three of them especially a little playful trash talking between Jefferson and Stewart as the starters waited for the television timeout to expire so the game could be started.

This weekend will conclude the brilliant high school careers of UConn incoming freshmen Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart (unless you include the McDonald's and WBCA All-American games).

Jefferson, a 5-foot-7 from Glenn Heights, Tex., has her THESA Riders squad in the National Christian HomeSchool title game where the Riders will play the MHEA Eagles, the team the Riders beat in the last two title games. The championship game begins at 4:45 p.m. today. A win would give the THESA Riders six straight national titles.

In Friday's semifinals Jefferson had 20 of her 35 points in the first half and added five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 78-49 win over the OKC Storm. There's a nice piece that captures the essence of Jefferson in today's Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.

As for Stewart, she will lead her Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.) team against Nazareth in the New York Federation AA semifinals at 2 p.m. today. The winner would play Murry Bergtraum for the title on Sunday at noon,

Next up for the duo is a trip to Chicago to take part in festivities leading up to Wednesday's McDonald's All-American game. Also playing in the game is a third UConn signee Morgan Tuck and Hillhouse's Bria Holmes. My colleague Chris Hunn spoke with Holmes, a West Virginia commit who is the first girls' high school player from Connecticut selected to play in the McDonald's game, on Friday.

When Hillhouse star Bria Holmes committed to West Virginia back in September, more than a few people in Holmes' circle of friends, supporters and advisors credited Mountaineers' associate head coach George Porcha' work recruiting Holmes for helping her land in West Virginia.

NCAA regulations won't allow coaches to talk about recruits until they sign their letters of intent so I wasn't able to talk to Porcha when Holmes committed. I took the chance after the Providence/Syracuse game in the Big East tournament to sit down with Porcha and get his take on what he and his fellow West Virginia coaches think about Holmes.

"Bria's potential is unlimited," Porcha said. "She is 6-2 and very versatile. We think she can play anywhere from the 1 (point guard) to the 4 (power forward). She has an excellent handle, she can shot the ball and she is a phenomenal passing which a lot of people don't realize not having seen her play. When you have a lot of weapons around her, she is going to flourish even more. We feel like with us having everybody returning and you add somebody who can pass at 6-2 the way she does, it just gives us something we haven't had at West Virginia before. We are excited because she brings so much to the table."

Holmes has won a state title in each of her first three years at Hillhouse and had 33 points in a 64-57 win over Norwalk in the second round of the Class LL tournament on Thursday. Holmes and the Academics will play city rival Career in the Class LL quarterfinals on Monday. Holmes' winning background appealed to West Virginia coach Mike Carey and his staff.

"That is big with Coach Carey," Porcha said. "He really looks for kids who have won and have been successful at the high school level because it translates. We have numerous kids on our current roster who have won state titles and there are numerous girls in Bria's class who expect when they come in. Coach Carey doesn't believe in rebuilding, he likes to reload. That is where he has the program at and he has done a phenomenal job in the 11 years that he has been there. Kids like Bria Holmes have seen what he has built at West Virginia and they want to be a part of that."

West Virginia beat out a host of schools including Rutgers to land Holmes, the first Connecticut player invited to play in the girls' McDonald's All-American game.

"I believe Bria and her family did their due diligence," Porcha said. "She was a kid who was highly recruiting since she was in eighth grade and once she got a chance to sit down and meet our head coach she saw how sincere he was, she saw how coach Carey was going to push her and get the best out of her. She felt like over four years with him she'd be able to improve and really get to the next level. She feels like Coach Carey can help her develop and help her get there.

That is a kid, she didn't want to sit out (the first round state tournament game) from what I heard. She was antsy and made her mom hurry up and get her to the doctor and wanted to get cleared but that is what you love about her. She is competitive, she wants to play. She is the type of kid who if she is not on the court she is letting her school down, she is letting her city down. She has a lot of pride in Hillhouse, she has a lot of pride in her teammates, she has a lot of pride in the city of New Haven and you want that."

Porcha has ties to the New Haven area as he was a defensive back on the New Haven football team in the early 1990s and I asked him his reaction of the Chargers going from closing down their football program to restarting it and quickly returning to a player on the Division II national scene.

"I am excited to see that," Porcha said. "I was talking to a lot of the guys who were there when I played. It was sad when they stopped football there I was almost ready to disown New Haven. I didn't even tell people that I graduated from Cincinnati because I ended up transferring there and now I am back to where I say 'yeah, I graduated from the University of New Haven.' You see what the football team is doing and he is busting his butt every single day, he is sending out e-mails keeping the alumni up to date and trying to bring the football back to prominence, I am excited as an alum to see what they've done and what they are continuing to do."

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion considering how many players make the initial list but UConn signees Moriah Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck are among the nominees for the McDonald's All-American game, which is being played on Mar. 28 at the United Center in Chicago.

Hillhouse's Bria Holmes, a West Virginia commit, is the only Connecticut player nominated for the girls' game.

The list of 24 players picked to compete in the game will be announced on Feb. 9.

Geno Auriemma wasn't surprised that one of his former star players was traded yesterday but he was a bit stunned that the Chicago Sky gave up the second overall pick in April's WNBA draft to acquire Cash, former Connecticut Sun forward Le'Coe Willingham and a second-round pick.

"I kind of had an inkling that something was going to happen with Swin because Seattle, I know they want to rebuild and don't have many tradeable players - Swin being the only one," Auriemma said. "I don't know what they got - the No. 2 overall pick, that is pretty good. So they have the No. 2 pick, that is a bad trade by Chicago unless they want to win right now Swin's only got two or three years left."

AURIEMMA TALKS ABOUT HILLHOUSE'S BRIA HOLMES
Bria Holmes was among the talented recruits at the SuperShow at Gampel Pavilion in 2010 before she ended up signing with West Virginia.

With West Virginia playing UConn at the XL Center tomorrow night, Holmes is expected to be in attendance to watch her future teammates play. I asked Auriemma if he thought Holmes will be a good fit for the Mountaineers.
"She is the kind of player that they like to recruit," Auriemma said. "She is long, she is athletic and Mike has had a lot of those kids over the years. Defensively she can do some things that I think she can really take advantage of. It may not happen right away as a freshman because he has a lot of young guys now."

ESPN just announced its announcing teams for the regular-season games being televised. Obviously they like the job former UConn star Rebecca Lobo does on UConn games because she is scheduled to be on the broadcasts for all six of UConn's games being shown on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Nov. 21 Stanford (Beth Mowins, Rebecca Lobo) ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 6 vs. Texas A&M (Dave O'Brien, Doris Burke, Rebecca Lobo) ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Jan. 16 North Carolina (Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo) ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 at Duke (Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo), ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Feb. 13 at Oklahoma (Pam Ward, Rebecca Lobo), ESPN2, 9 p.m.
Feb. 27 Notre Dame (Dave O'Brien, Doris Burke, Rebecca Lobo) ESPN2, 9 p.m.

Doris Burke, who will do the Texas A&M and Notre Dame games, was selected to receive the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award at a ceremony in Indianapolis on Jan. 13.

HOLMES SIGNS WITH WEST VIRGINIA
Hillhouse senior Bria Holmes signed her letter of intent with West Virginia today, on the first day of the early signing period.

In an official release put out by West Virginia announcing its five-member play, Mountaineers coach Mike Carey said “Bria is a great sized guard that can play several positions. She is one of those players that with her size, at 6-foot-1, can go inside out, shoot the three and also take it off the dribble on the fast break. The flexibility of someone like her also gives us a lot of things we can do on both sides of the court. She is highly recruited and we are very excited to have her. She gives us a type of player that we haven’t had here in a very long time.”


 

For UConn basketball fans, tonight must be something close to a national holiday.

When fans come to games during the season, they are kept at arms' length from the players and coaches. But the whole idea behind First Night (other than to have a showcase to impress recruits) is that it allows fans to see a different side of the players. It all starts on Fairfield Way outside of Gampel Pavilion with a Fan Fest. Doors to Gampel open at 6 and there will be an autograph session with the players from both teams. The "basketball" portion of the evening will begin at 7 and include dunk and 3-point contests although there will be more fun than games. Admission is free.

"The kids get a big kick out of it, being out here and doing their thing," UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma said. "(They) enjoy being out on the floor for the first time with actual people in the stands. I think it is for the kids but how the kids handle it, that makes it for the fans. If they kids come out and go ‘I can’t believe we’ve got to do this’ then the fans don’t get a chance to enjoy it. But if the kids come out, have a great time and enjoy it and embrace the whole night then I think the fans have a great experience. I hope 10,000 of them actually show up."

Auriemma was asked about bringing back a scrimmage to the event so fans could actually see the basketball players well, actually play basketball.

"I think the scrimmaging days are over," Auriemma said. "They have something planned but I don’t know what. I try not to get caught up in that stuff. I just kind of show up and they point me in the right direction. You guys know this, in this program I am the Queen of England. I just come in and give them (a smile and a wave), elbow/wrist, elbow/wrist, elbow/wrist."
Auriemma admitted it was a hectic summer for him traveling out of the country multiple times as he continues to do double duty as not only the UConn but also the U.S. national team coach.

"Three times over the Europe and one time over to South America, all the recruiting that has been involved over the summer it has been a lot but I am kind of used to it by now," Auriemma said.

Speaking of recruits, UConn commit Morgan Tuck out of Bolingbrook (Ill.) High will be in attendance as well as 2012 recruiting target Xylina McDaniel, a star at Spring Valley (S.C.) High and 2013 recruiting target Taya Reimer out of Hamilton Southeastern High in Fishers, Ind. Also, my colleague David Borges (wo covers the UConn men's squad for the Register) is reporting that UConn men's commit Omar Calhoun will be there tonight so it's likely that his sister Sierra, a highly-touted sophomore at Christ the King, will also be in attendance. It will be a far cry from last year when current UConn freshmen Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Kiah Stokes and Brianna Banks along with their future UConn teammates Tuck and Moriah Jefferson were in attendance along with Hillhouse's Bria Holmes (who recently committed to West Virginia) and Class of 2013 prospect Diamond DeShields (who almost gave UConn's compliance officers a heart attack when she raced out of the stands and attempted to win one of the contests).

For those who can't make it to Storrs, you can check out the event on ESPN3.com Bear in mind there are some restrictions (I know I can't get ESPN3 through my provider). ESPNU's whiparound coverage will include updates from UConn by Doris Burke and Mark Brown.

TAURASI OFF TO IMPRESSIVE STAR
For anybody hoping that Diana Taurasi was going to be among those former UConn stars making an appearance at First Night, sorry but she is kind of busy.

Taurasi made her debut with Galatasay on Thursday and what a debut it was. Taurasi was 7 of 7 from 3-point range en route to 31 points to go with eight rebounds, six assists and two steals in an 83-66 win over Vici Aistes.

Taurasi's former UConn teammate Asjha Jones is also off and running as she had 19 points and six rebounds in her first game with Rivas Ecopolis.

I reported that Hillhouse star Bria Holmes became the third known commitment for West Virginia in the upcoming recruiting class. Well, the Mountaineers actually now have five commits.

New York point guard Darius Faulk committed after visiting West Virginia this weekend as did Holmes. I had mentioned that Maryland high school stars Jennie Simms and Lanay Montgomery had previously committed. West Virginia also has a pledge from in-state player Mackenzie White meaning that barring any transfers, the Mountaineers are done for the year and will have two open spots in the Class of 2013 since next year's roster will feature five freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and two seniors.

Bill Dixon, one of Holmes' AAU coaches, credits West Virginia assistant coach George Porcha (a former defensive back at the University of New Haven) for doing much of the work on the recruitment of Holmes.

"They've been (recruiting) her for more than a year, they've been consistently on her," Dixon said. "She went there for a visit and solidified things. George Porcha knew the area well and did his homework."

Dixon said the final schools with Holmes were West Virginia, Rutgers, St. John's and Penn State.

"I wasn't that surprised, they wanted her bad," Dixon said of Holmes' decision.

"They like to run, jump, press and Bria has played that way at Hillhouse for last four years. It fits her pretty well. I heard they want her as a guard, to play a 2 (shooting guard) or 3 (small forward)."

Although she will be far away from her family, Holmes could seek out another former Hillhouse star if she needs somebody from New Haven to talk to. Carmella Suggs, a 2000 Hillhouse graduate, played at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W. Va. and still lives in the area.

CPTV'S HOOP STREAMS RETURNS
CPTV will once again offer live streams of the UConn's women's basketball games it holds the rights to at a cost of $59.95 for the season, $34.95 for a monthly pass or or $14.95 for pay-per-view broadcasts. Oct. 1 is the first day to sign up for the program.

CPTV's release said the eighth year of the Hoop Streams program will feature clearer video and five-times-faster streaming speed.

Hoop Streams provides live and on-demand access to CPTV-aired UConn games, The Geno Auriemma Show, archived games and more. Subscribers to the service have the flexibility to watch the games live on their computer or at a later date, and as many times as they choose.

CPTV has yet to announce the schedule of games it will be televising but it could be as many as 21 since only nine regular-season games have been contracted to other networks. Among the games CPTV figures to secure the rights to include the season opener against Holy Cross as well against the ones against perennial Big East first-division teams DePaul, Rutgers, West Virginia and St. John's.

Hillhouse senior and former UConn recruiting target Bria Holmes committed to West Virginia on Monday, a day after she returned from her official visit to the school.

Holmes told the Register that she was leaning towards Rutgers before her visit to West Virginia.

"It feels like family there," Holmes said. "I liked the campus. I connected with the players and coaches as soon as I got there."

The 6-foot-1 Holmes averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists as a junior as she led the Academics to their third straight CIAC Class L title.

Holmes, who was in attendance at UConn's First Night festivities last October, had focused her attention in recent weeks and months to Rutgers and West Virginia.

"It was pretty close," Holmes said. "I weighed my options. After I learned more about each school, it came out to West Virginia."

West Virginia is coming off a 24-10 season but lost seven players to graduation including its top three scorers (Liz Repella, Madina Ali and Sarah Miles). The only senior on the Mountaineers is 6-foot-5 Australian Natalie Burton so the Mountaineers will return nearly their entire team by the time Holmes suits up at West Virginia.

West Virginia has received commitments from Lanay Montgomery, a 6-foot-5 center from Germantown, Md. and Jennie Simms, a 6-foot forward from Accokeek, Md.

Stefanie Dolson had 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and had eight rebounds as UConn defeated the Netherlands national team 73-53 on Thursday.

Bria Hartley had 16 points, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis added 12 points and Tiffany Hayes 10 in the first of four games the Huskies will play during their trip to Italy while Kiah Stokes added nine rebounds.

“Overall, I thought we played well tonight," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "We were really good for about 30 minutes and struggled for 10. We let the Netherlands get back into the game in the second quarter but I was happy with the way we came out in the second half. It’s going to be a year-long work in progress and this was a pretty good start.”

UConn opened up a 15-point lead in the second quarter but the Dutch rallied and cut Connecticut’s lead to just two points, 34-32, at the half. The Huskies seized control of the game in the third quarter though, holding the Netherlands scoreless during the first seven-minutes of the second stanza and cruised to the 20-point win.

“Overall, I thought we played pretty well,” Dolson said. "Coach said we played well for 30 of the 40 minutes we were out there. Looking back, I can see that we were solid for a while and then would fall off a bit. Once we calmed down and stopped rushing things and just played together, we were really good."

UConn will play the Italian Select team on Friday at 1 p.m. (Eastern time).

For those recruiting news lovers out there, don't be expecting too much coming out of the camp of Hillhouse's Bria Holmes until probably the fall - at the earliest.

I spoke to one of her AAU coaches today who told me that Bria has yet to make the rounds on the college visitation circuit so she is far away from narrowing down her list and most certainly months away from making a decision.

The Connecticut Lady Blazers will be playing in tournaments in Kentucky and Georgia in July. They will also be headed to an event at Rutgers at which time Holmes is expected to have an unofficial visit and meet with Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer.

Holmes will likely get down to the business of coming up with a list of schools and take some visits in September and October. It sounds like she won't be venturing too far for college. I have learned in my time covering recruiting that each kid has a different definition of what constitutes going to college "close to home" but certainly schools like Rutgers and St. John's, who have both shown plenty of interest in Holmes, would seem to fit the geographic profile.

Rutgers has been pushing hard for the 6-foot-1 wing as has West Virginia and they have plenty of company among Big East school. UConn is also in the mix and she was on hand for UConn's First Night festivities in October.

Holmes was an All-State selection as a junior as she led Hillhouse to its third straight Class L title. In the state championship game, she had 27 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.

Recruiting rankings usually aren't worth the paper they are printed on or pass they occupy on a computer screen but it's hard not to be impressed by UConn's ability to have secured commitments from the top two rated players in the Class of 2012 after guard Moriah Jefferson joined Breanna Stewart as early UConn commitments. Earlier in the process, fellow UConn commit Morgan Tuck was being touted as the most talented prospect in this class.

You would probably have to go back to the signing of the Tamika Williams, Swin Cash, Sue Bird, Asjha Jones and Keirsten Walters class to rival the rankings of the class the UConn coaching staff is currently putting together.

As impressive as securing commitments from Jefferson, a 5-7 guard from Glenn Heights, Tex., Stewart, a 6-foot-4 forward from North Syracuse, N.Y. and Morgan Tuck, a 6-2 forward from Bolingbrook, Ill., is for the Huskies - they are not done.

UConn is still very much involved with Xylina McDaniel, a 6-foot-1 forward out of Spring Valley High in Columbia, S.C., is still looking at Hillhouse junior wing Bria Holmes and recently got involved with Peyton Little, a guard out of Wylie High in Abilene, Tex.

It should be noted that Jefferson's THESA squad is slated to play in the tournament hosted by Little's Wylie squad from Dec. 8-10. Something tells me at least one member of the UConn coaching staff will make the trip for that event especially if Little ends up joining Jefferson at UConn.

As if there was a question regarding UConn's interest in Hillhouse junior Bria Holmes, assistant coach Shea Ralph was sitting four rows behind the Academics' bench at the TD Bank Sports Center during Monday's Southern Connecticut Conference tournament semifinal.

Holmes had 16 points (on 7 of 11 shooting), eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and five turnovers while playing all 32 minutes as Hillhouse held on for a 51-50 victory over Career.

Holmes saved her best for the early portion of the third quarter, grabbing half of her eight rebounds in that quarter as the Academics built up a commanding lead only to come back behind the play of Bria Moore, who had 16 of her game-high 17 points in the second half and also had 11 rebounds.

Career had a chance to take the lead in the closing seconds but Nicole Bentley missed a driving layup. However, a foul was called during the ensuing scramble sending Nicole Anderson to the line with 0.6 seconds to play. Anderson made the first foul shot but miss the second as Hillhouse escaped with a 51-50 victory.

When I was there, I heard rumblings that Rutgers is the leader in the clubhouse for Holmes so I spoke with Hillhouse coach Catrina Hawley-Stewart to get an update on where her star player is in the recruiting process.

"It's not just Rutgers, the entire Big East is interested," Hawley-Stewart said. "Baylor, Duke, the top 10 is interested. Obviously she will be interested in UConn. It's an honor to have Coach Shea Ralph up here."

Hawley-Stewart said it was hard to pinpoint how many times a member of the UConn staff has been in attendance at one of the Hillhouse games this year. I said "three or four?" and Hawley-Stewart said that was about right.

Holmes, who plays both in the post and on the wing for Hillhouse but projects as a wing player at the next level, is not close to making a decision or even narrowing her list of schools.

"It is still a ways away," Hawley-Stewart said. "I don't think the coaches are putting on the pressure. She is the kind of kid who teams would like to have. Bria likes a family atmosphere and there is no rush unless a coach says now or never and then she would kind of figure out what she would like to do. Right now she is taking advantage of getting to know the coaches, what kind of style they play, what their home life is like and what the team does together. Bria wants to be a part of a happy, winning family."

UConn, Rutgers, St. John's and Providence (where Hawley-Stewart played) are among the schools Holmes has visits.

"She wants to go down to West Virginia, to Louisville," Hawley-Stewart said. "She just wants to see what (options) she has and I think she wants to stay close."

Holmes' main focus is on leading Hillhouse to its third consecutive state title but come April, she'll "be able to use every weekend to go and see schools," Hawley-Stewart said.

"She is overwhelmed (by the recruiting process)," Hawley-Stewart said. "Every time you go to the mailbox and it is overflowing. They haven't even been able to call her yet so just imagine when all the calls start rushing in."

I asked Hawley-Stewart about how much Bria has connected with Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer.

"Everybody loves Vivian but she also loves Coach Geno (Auriemma)," Hawley-Stewart said. "She likes the (UConn) style of play, she really likes (UConn associate head) Coach (Chris) Dailey. She loves and wants to talk to her often. She really likes the UConn family and we'll see what happens. Her mother will go up there with her (for another visit) and she is excited to see them win another championship."


Speaking of UConn, here is a link to the advance I wrote for tomorrow's game against Seton Hall which focuses on the on-court chemistry between Maya Moore and Kelly Faris.

While UConn has five regular-season games remaining, the Huskies' three incoming freshmen are already in postseason mode.

Brianna Banks and Fayette County defeated Dutchtown 69-45 in the Georgia 3-AAAA quarterfinals on Tuesday and will play Woodland at 4 p.m. on Friday

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. opens play in the CIF Southern Section 1AA playoffs by hosting King tonight. With a win, the Monarchs would play the winner of the Warren/Schnurr game on Saturday.

Kiah Stokes and Linn-Mar of Marion, Iowa will face either Dubuque Senior or Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Tuesday in the Iowa Class 4A tournament.

As for the high school juniors who have either committed to UConn or are high on the Huskies' wish list:

Breanna Stewart's next game with her Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.) squad is a home game against Liverpool on Friday. Fellow commit Morgan Tuck will lead her Bolingbrook (Ill.) squad will play Romeoville in the Class 4A Plainfield East Regional final tonight.

UConn recruiting target Jewell Loyd also has her Niles West in contention for Illinois' 4A title as Niles West faces Skokie tonight in the Skokie (Niles West) Regional final.

Xylina McDaniel had 29 points, four rebounds, four assists and four blocks as Spring Valley of Columbia, S.C. began play in the South Carolina 4A playoffs with a 95-47 win over Northwestern on Tuesday. Next up is J.L. Mann on Friday.
Staying closer to home, Bria Holmes helped Hillhouse to the No. 2 seed in the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament which begins tonight with four games. Hillhouse plays the winner of the Guilford/Foran game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at West Haven High School (which would answer the question I have received whether Holmes would be in attendance at the Notre Dame game). If the Academics win, they would play in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Monday at Quinnipiac's TD Bank Sports Center. That will be the site of the championship game, slated for 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Moriah Jefferson and her THESA Raiders will play in the state tournament next week with their eyes on a fifth straight National Homeschool Championship next month.

With Breanna Stewart, the nation's top-rated high school junior, expected to be at Gampel Pavilion tonight I figured it would be worth taking a look at the uncommitted players in the Class of 2012 who are being recruited by UConn.

Leading the list of prospects is a pair of players who were teammates of UConn commit Morgan Tuck on the U.S. Under-17 national team - Stewart and Jewell Loyd - as well as Texas guard Moriah Jefferson, South Carolina forward Xylina McDaniel and Hillhouse wing Bria Holmes.

Stewart, a 6-foot-4 forward at Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.) High, Breanna Stewart, is averaging 23 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.7 steals and 3 blocks per game. I watched some of the practices of the U.S. Under-17 national team and came away extremely impressed with the versatility a player like Stewart brings to the court as she seemed equally at ease at the low post or playing out away from the basket.

Getting the complete stats for Loyd, a 5-foot-10 guard at Niles West High in Skokie, Ill., was a bit more challenging. I couldn't track down her scoring totals in four games this season but in the 21 games I found for her has her averaging 30.3 points per game including four 40-point efforts, two more games of 39 points and a triple-double with 42 points, 15 rebounds and 10 steals in a Dec. 14 win over Deerfield. During one recent stretch, Loyd had 125 points in games against Lake Zurich, St. Francis and Glenbrook South.

The 5-foot-8 Jefferson is a home schooled kid who plays for THESA out of Ft. Worth, Texas and is vying with Stewart for the right of being the nation's most highly-touted high school junior.

McDaniel, a 6-foot-1 forward at Spring Valley (SC), is averaging 18.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.6 blocks. McDaniel, the daughter of former NBA star Xavier McDaniel, scored in double figures in last 19 games and has nine 20-point games this season. During UConn's recent trip to play at North Carolina, UConn coach Geno Auriemma stayed behind to watch McDaniel play.

Holmes, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward, is averaging 17.4 points per game and has been the picture of consistency by scoring between 13-26 in every game this season for the Academics.

While dynamics in recruiting is an ever evolving process, those appear to be at the top of UConn's wish list at the current time. Jordan Adams, a high school teammate of UConn incoming freshman Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, seems like more of a long shot with each passing week even though when I spoke to her during Mater Dei's recent game in Springfield, Mass. she did say UConn was still in the picture. It seems likely that Adams would stay in California and with the improvement shown by UCLA and USC in the last season or two as well as perennial Pac-10 power Stanford, Adams won't lack for viable options. Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan did say that Tennessee was making a push for Adams so it will be interesting to see if Tennessee coach Pat Summitt can work her recruiting magic. It should be noted that while looking for info on Loyd, one recent story mentioned that Summitt took in one of her recent games.

I can't have a good feel for how seriously California post players Imani Stafford and Alyson Beebe are considering UConn.

Finally, this is merely my opinion but it is beginning to look unlikely that Australian teenager Gretel Tippett would leave her home country and a chance to play in the WNBL in Australia to play collegiately. Had Tippett remained with the Australian Institute of Sport, perhaps I've feel stronger about the liklihood of her coming over but the fact that she has yet to come over to the U.S. to visit potential colleges should be a bit of a red flag. Since joining the Logan Thunder, Tippett is averaging 4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game so she won't lack for opportunities to earn money in Australia's pro league. Unlike the others mentioned above, Tippett would be a part of the incoming freshman class is she opts to head to the U.S. Now, if she makes a decision to come over to visit a school like UConn in the next month, certainly that would be a pretty fair indication of her intentions. I have attempted to contact Gretel's parents via e-mail but have not heard back yet but I will continue to monitor this situation.

Well, apparently not even UConn's winning streak can last forever.

Once UConn got by Baylor on Nov. 16, the Dec. 30 game at Stanford was circled as the game where the NCAA basketball record winning streak could come to an end. I was of the opinion that UConn would not win that game not against a veteran Stanford team featuring three 1,000-point scorers and seven players standing 6-2 or taller. So despite people referring to it as a "stunning upset" it was anything but. I was more surprised that Stanford lost at DePaul than I was that UConn lost at Stanford. That being said, why did it happen?

When I watched the game, it reminded me a lot of the UConn/Pittsburgh men's game. Both games were on the road against physical teams and coaches who have beaten UConn in the past. Both Pitt and Stanford took advantage of the Huskies' reliance on their superstars and the other players simply stood around and waited for either Kemba Walker or Maya Moore to win the game.

UConn's offense seemed doomed from the outlet as four of the Huskies' first five shots were 3-pointers. There was none of the crisp, cool, calculating offensive sets UConn is known for running. Compounding matters was that Stanford did not led Connecticut get out in transition as the Huskies managed two fast-break points.

Stanford's defensive effort on Moore was impressive. The Cardinal chased her, bumped her, refused to let her get into the rhythm and almost always had a taller player on her whether it was Chiney Ogwumike, Joslyn Tinkle or any of the other Stanford defenders getting a crack at her. Help was never far away. There would be no repeat of Moore's 41-point explosion against Florida State. Kelly Faris and Bria Hartley did their best to step up but it simply wasn't enough.

The biggest question mark around the post-Candice Wiggins Stanford teams was whether it had good enough guard play to beat UConn. The answer before Thursday night was no. Jeanette Pohlen's emergence into an elite player has been something to behold and she had a Maya Moore-type game last night. However, I don't think Lindy La Rocque's contributions should go unnoticed. She had 3-pointers 70 seconds apart in the first half with the second coming in the next possession after Tiffany Hayes made her only field goal of the game. I'm not privy to UConn's scouting report on Stanford but I'd have to imagine that the name Lindy La Rocque was pretty far down the list.

So what came out of Thursday night? Other than ending the winning streak and forcing the UConn players to answer the same questions about setting history, not a heck of a lot. UConn is a very good team, a national championship contender as is Stanford. That hasn't changed. If the teams meet again this season, I would think it would come in Indianapolis which would mark the fourth straight year the teams would meet in the Final Four. If that game happens, UConn coach Geno Auriemma will use this game as a teaching tool as will Stanford's Tara VanDerveer. Both teams will be better off for having played this game by the time the NCAA tournament comes around. I'd venture to say that Tiffany Hayes won't be 1 of 9 from the field nor will she sit for the final 6:20 as she did last night if there is a rematch.

This will, however, not be the end of winning streak talk since UConn will be going after an NCAA Division I record 70th straight home victory when Villanova comes into Gampel Pavilion on Jan. 5.

Although UConn beat No. 2 Baylor, I would expect the Lady Bears to ascend to the No. 1 spot when the polls come out early next week. As a voter in the Associated Press poll, I think this could be the most difficult poll I will ever have to put together. I value head to head matchups when I vote so I don't think it is a foregone conclusion that I will drop UConn from the top spot since it beat Baylor although the Lady Bears went to Connecticut and only lost by a point although I am leaning towards making Baylor No. 1. Stanford is another team I will have to ponder what to do with. They are coming off one of the most impressive weeks of basketball in recent memory. The Cardinal absolutely schooled No. 4 Xavier and then beat UConn by 12 in a span of three days but also have road losses to Tennessee and DePaul. Undefeated teams like Duke and West Virginia had more difficulty than I thought they would in wins over Temple and St. Bonaventure yesterday and Tennessee has a loss to Georgetown on its resume as well as a defeat to Baylor. Something tells me you are going to see wildly divergent polls being sent in by the voters.

HOLMES, HILLHOUSE STUN MURRY BERGTRAUM
UConn recruiting target Bria Holmes had 23 points including the 1,000th of her career as visiting Hillhouse upset New York powerhouse Murry Bergtraum 77-73 on Thursday. Holmes, a junior forward, now has 1,018 points. Andreana Thomas had 17 points and nine assists for Hillhouse, which was coming off a loss to city rival Career. Murry Bergtraum, ranked as high as No. 8 in one national high school poll, will be the opponent when UConn signee Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. plays in the HoopHall Classic on Jan. 14 in Springfield, Mass.

Led by junior forward Bria Holmes, who is being recruited by UConn, Hillhouse will be playing the host school in the Murry Bergtraum Classic on Thursday at 3 p.m.

Hillhouse won't be going into the game on a high note having lost to city rival Career 55-47 in the Vanguard Classic in New Haven on Tuesday as Holmes was held to 10 points.

Murry Bergtraum, the alma mater of Epiphanny Prince, Shannon Bobbitt and current Syracuse star Erica Morrow, is led by senior guard Cori Coleman and is ranked eighth in the USA Today national poll. Murry Bergtraum's biggest test could come on Jan. 14 against Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif in the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Mater Dei is led by UConn signee Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. The game will start at 6 p.m.

On the subject of recruiting, UConn has a commitment from Morgan Tuck, a 6-2 forward from Bolingbrook (Ill.) High and is pursuing pretty much the same cast of characters it had its eyes on over the summer.

Forward/center Breanna Stewart and guard Moriah Jefferson are at the top of the Huskies' wish list. Holmes, speedy guard Jewell Loyd and towering center Imani Stafford are also very much on UConn's recruiting radar. Jordan Adams, a teammate of Mosqueda-Lewis, has also caught the eye of the UConn coaching staff but Adams seems likely to stay close to home in college.